BENGALURU: Considering the complaints of corruption, favouritism, nepotism and maladministration seriously, the Lokayukta, Upa Lokayukta and judicial officers conducted simultaneous raids on 45 offices of revenue and town planning departments of BBMP across the city on Thursday.

During the raids, unaccounted cash, and irregularities and procedural lapses were detected in the Palike offices, according to sources. 

Sources said BBMP offices in Bengaluru East, Bommanahalli, Yelahanka, Mahadevapura, Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Banashankari, Vijayanagara, Basavanagudi, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Yeshwanthpur and Dasarahalli were raided. 

Thirteen judicial officers, seven superintendents of police, 19 deputy superintendents of police, 26 police inspectors and several policemen were part of the operation. 

The Director-General of Police, Karnataka Lokayukta, and Inspector-General of Police, Karnataka Lokayukta, supervised the operation. Policemen from the offices of Lokayukta in neighbouring districts were also part of the operation.

Sources said the staff members of revenue and town planning offices allegedly demanded more than 
Rs 50,000 as a bribe to issue a building work commencement certificate, completion certificate and occupancy certificate for each single-kitchen house. They also demanded bribes to issue khatha certificates, building plan approval and other documents. In view of the increasing number of complaints against the staff members of BBMP, the raids were conducted, sources added.

BENGALURU:  The number of tigers in Karnataka has increased to 563, which is 39 more than the 2018 census. But the state continues to remain in the second position in the all-India tiger estimation 2022 report released on the occasion of International Tiger Day on Saturday. With 785 tigers, Madhya Pradesh retains its No 1 position.

The gap between the two states, which was only two in 2018, has increased to 222 with MP recording a robust figure. Uttarakhand ranks third with 560 tigers. Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre said, “It is heartening to note that the number of tigers in Karnataka has increased from 524 in 2018 to 563 in the 2022 census, making the state the second highest tiger reserve in the country.”

Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre said, “It is heartening to note that the number of tigers in Karnataka has increased from 524 in 2018 to 563 in the 2022 census, making the state second highest tiger reserve in the country.” 

The minister appreciated the forest department’s efforts in creating a climate conducive for the conservation of tigers. As per the report, Karnataka shows a 7.44% growth as against MP’s 49.23% and Uttarakhand’s 26.69%.

While the state government is happy with the report, experts pointed out that the efforts made by it are not enough. The growth rate in the last four years is what MP has shown in just one year. Karnataka should learn forest management and protection practices from MP, they said. The Western Ghats region accounted for a low growth with 1,087 tigers in 2022 when compared to 1,439 in central India and Eastern Ghats regions. 

Subhash Malkhade, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife,  told TNSE that his department is happy with the report. An analysis will be done. The department is expecting the numbers to rise further. New strategies will be prepared as Bandipur and Nagarahole cannot house more tigers.

BK Singh, retired PCCF, said Karnataka must learn from MP which has secured its forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Rampant poaching and habitat loss are the main reasons for the decline in the number of tigers.

Avani Kumar Verma, retired PCCF, said there is nothing to rejoice. In fact, it’s time to look into the situation objectively. Compared to other states, Karnataka has not shown the required rise in the number of tigers in the last four years. This shows there is pressure on its forests.

Experts in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change pointed out that habitat fragmentation leads to a decline in the number of tigers. Karnataka has been reporting many cases of tiger deaths and also cases of capture and injuries, which also have an impact on reproduction cycles.

A forest official said the department should focus on improving the prey base in Bhadra, BRT, Kudremukh and Kali reserves where more tigers can be housed. There are other reasons for the drop in numbers, which include a shortage of ground staff, a lack of scientific approach, and poor funding from the state and union governments.

BENGALURU:  The political slugfest over non-procurement of Nandini ghee for use in Tirupati laddus continues. Officials from Karnataka Milk Federation Limited (KMF) on Monday said the federation stopped supplying ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) one-and-a-half years ago.

The statement came after some leaders of opposition parties alleged that because of the hike in milk prices, KMF is unable to meet the demand to supply ghee to TTD to make the world-famous laddus.

A senior official from KMF said, “We stopped supplying ghee to TTD one-and-a-half years ago. TTD invites tenders once in six months and the prices quoted by other producers seem to be attractive to the temple’s trust. However, the price of KMF’s ghee is low when compared to other producers, including Amul. Nandini ghee costs Rs 610 per kg. Amul sells its ghee for Rs 640.” Advertisementhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2023/aug/01/nandini-ghee-slugfest-over-tirumala-tirupati-devasthanams-move-continues-2600630.html

The official said the last supply of 2050 metric tonnes of ghee was in 2021. Though KMF had informed TTD that it could meet its demand for ghee, the price factor seems to be a matter of concern for the temple trust. KMF is ready for negotiations if TTD contacts it, he said.

However, former minister and BJP leader CT Ravi on Monday said that he is not happy with the KMF’s statement. It contradicted the statement of the KMF chairman issued on Sunday. Ravi said, “On Sunday, the KMF chairman stated that the federation cannot supply ghee because of the increasing production cost.

But on Monday, KMF officials issued a contradicting statement that the federation stopped supplying ghee to TTD in 2021. As per the information I received, KMF supplied ghee to TTD till June 2023. Why is KMF lying now?” Ravi said supplying ghee to TTD for its laddus is a matter of pride for Karnataka.

The state government should find ways to ensure that supply of ghee to TTD is not affected. “The pride of Karnataka is taking a hit because of the Congress government’s decision to hike the price of milk and the inability of KMF to convince such a big customer to continue ghee procurement from it,” he said.

Kalaburagi (K’taka): Senior MLA B R Patil on Sunday admitted that he threatened to resign during the recent Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, citing “self-respect”, but said he did not apologise for writing a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister highlighting his concerns.

The CLP meeting on Thursday evening was significant as it came amid reports that as many as 30 legislators have written to Siddaramaiah and the party leadership expressing concern over non-implementation of development works in their constituencies.

The behaviour and conduct of certain ministers has upset some legislators, Patil said, as he warned that their fight would continue, if it is not corrected.

The Aland MLA, however said he is satisfied with the Legislature party meeting held on Thursday and what transpired there.

Senior MLA B R Patil

“I too have seen media and newspaper reports. I don’t know who has apologised. I have not apologised, nor will I. Have we committed any crime to apologise? Or have we made a big mistake?” Patil said in response to a question that some ministers including Home Minister G Parameshwara had stated that those who wrote letters to the CM had apologised at the CLP meeting.

Speaking to reporters, he said, “There is internal democracy in our party, we have the right to request a legislature party meeting.

Accordingly, leaders have called (for the meeting). There was open and detailed discussion in the meeting and I’m satisfied, but I’m not a coward to apologise. If I had committed any mistake, I would have apologised,” he added.

Several legislators are said to be miffed and have complained that they had not been able to get work done in their constituencies, and have not been granted transfers (of government servants) as requested. They have expressed unhappiness regarding some ministers, alleging that they were not cooperating with them.

According to party sources, Patil, one of the MLAs who wrote to the CM, slammed ministers at the CLP meeting for not taking MLAs into confidence.

They said Patil asserted his rights when Siddaramaiah questioned the need for the letter that was written to him.

Stating that there is no disgruntlement, Patil today told reporters that he along with some legislators wanted certain issues to be discussed for which they had requested that a legislature party meeting be called.

Asked whether he had said that he would resign at the meeting, he said, “I said one thing at one point, that if my self respect is hurt I will throw my resignation and go.”

He however did not wish to elaborate as to what the context was in which he made such a statement. “It cannot be discussed openly in the media, we have discussed internally.”

The behaviour and conduct of certain ministers has upset some legislators, Patil said, adding, “I don’t know whether CM has advised them (ministers) or not… If their behaviour is not right, our fight against it will be there.”

Clarifying that there is no team as such in place to fight against the ministers’ behaviour, Patil, in response to a question, admitted that he walked out of the CLP meeting, and was persuaded by a couple of ministers to get back. But he did not wish to go into details.

He however said that the chief minister subsequently spoke to him over the phone.

Patil, clarifying that the issue that legislators have is not related to transfer of government servants, said that the CM has explained at the CLP meeting about the burden on the exchequer due to implementation of the poll guarantees, and that there will be shortage of funds for developmental works initially this year, which will be set right in the days ahead.

“We are satisfied with what CM said,” he added.

BENGALURU: The State Government will not compromise on protecting the rights of Adivasis, tribals and minorities as prescribed in the Constitution. The CM made this assurance to a delegation of the Muslim Personal Law Board who met him on Wednesday and expressed apprehension over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

The delegation claimed that UCC is a threat to Adivasis, tribals and minorities. They said the previous Law Commission had rejected the Union Government’s proposal, saying UCC was not feasible in a country 
as diverse as India.

Responding to the delegation, Siddaramaiah said the Karnataka government will not allow suppression of the rights of the Minorities. “The Union Government is creating unnecessary controversy ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,” the CM added.

The delegation also requested the State Government to protect waqf properties and clear encroachments. 
The delegation included former Rajya Sabha member K Rehman Khan, Housing and Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Legislative Council Chief Whip Saleem Ahmed, MLA Rizwan Arshad, Political Secretary to Chief Minister Nazir Ahmed, Maulana Syed Mustafa Rafai Nadvi, Maulana Syed Muhammad Tanveer Hashmi, Maulana Shabir Ahmad Hussaini Nadvi, Mufti Iftikhar, Ahmed Qasmi, among others.

BENGALURU/HUBBALLI : Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday downplayed claims that some Congress MLAs are unhappy with his cabinet ministers for not providing adequate funds for development works in their constituencies. Addressing reporters at Hubballi, Siddaramaiah said if Congress MLAs have problems, they could discuss them at the legislative party meeting to be held on Thursday.

While a fake letter on Congress MLA BR Patil’s letterhead, which stated that many MLAs are unhappy with the ministers for not providing funds for various development works, created a flutter in political circles, nearly 30 MLAs have written to the CM urging him to convene a meeting of CLP.

Siddaramaiah said the MLAs requested him to hold a meeting, but it was deferred in the wake of the proposed meeting of former AICC president Rahul Gandhi with them. However, it did not happen. Debunking claims, the CM said, “No MLA has complained against any minister

Meanwhile, Patil said the alleged letter is fake and he would ask the police to take action against those responsible for it.

Koppal MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy said that they have written to the CM to hold a meeting of CLP to discuss the need for better coordination between MLAs and ministers. Rayareddy, however, said they have nothing to do with the fake letter. 

Meanwhile, the BJP tweeted, “Angered by the transfer racket and frequent interference in administration, 30 Congress MLAs have turned against 20 ministers and filed a complaint seeking CM’s intervention. Within two months of coming to power, the Siddaramaiah government is facing a no-confidence motion from their legislators.”

JOIDA(UTTARA KANNADA): Heavy rain in several parts of Joida taluk in Uttara Kannada exposed the pathetic condition in which people live in the interior villages of Kali Tiger Reserve. Two persons, who developed respiratory problems, had to be ferried out in rafts meant for adventure sports, to a hospital. In the backwaters of Kaneri reservoir, the roads have turned into rivers as the water level has been rising continuously for the last three days. A bridge near Kundal village has submerged, leaving no road connectivity to the villagers.

Tahsildar Basavaraj Chinnalli and Revenue Inspector Ganapathi Methri came to the rescue of the two patients after being told that the village had got completely cut off from the outer world. “After exploring various options, we finally decided to use rafts from Hornbill Resorts.

An ambulance was then stationed at a safer place in which the patients, Raja Velap and Ganesh Velap, were taken to a hospital. They have been admitted to Joida Taluk Hospital,” said Subhash Gouda, a resident here. The gram panchayat is a cluster of several villages with a population of about 1,000 people. Of the villages in the panchayat, Kundal, Kuravali, Navara, Ambali and Katheli have been cut off from the outer world since Thursday night.

Bengaluru: A 19-year-old engineering student was allegedly set ablaze by his uncle in Bengaluru for being in a relationship with his daughter succumbed to injuries in Victoria hospital on Tuesday.

Shashank hailed from R.R. Nagar, was pursuing his engineering at a private college in Bengaluru. He was in a relationship with his cousin which his uncle, Manu alias Mahesh, father of the girl opposed and warned him against, many times before, said the police.

According to The Hindu, a few days ago Shashank had taken the girl, his cousin, to his house when she visited Bengaluru. When her family came to know about this, went to his house and took her away after creating a ruckus.

Being upset with him, his uncle and other six men abducted him in a Toyota Innova as he was walking home from college. They soaked him in petrol, set him on fire and later abandoned him in an open ground on saturday, Shashak alleged in his statement to police.

“I managed to roll on the ground and cover myself with mud to extinguish the flames. I contacted my relative Heera over the phone. She promptly arrived with my friends Saraswati and Kumar and they rushed me to the hospital,” he added in his statement.

Based on his statement, Kumbalgodu police booked Manu and the other six on charges of kidnapping, assault and attempt to murder.

Shashank suffered 80 percent burns due to the incident and passed away at Victoria Hospital on tuesday, Shashank’s maternal aunt Hira told Deccan Herald.

State Home Minister G Parameshwara has sought a report from the Kumbalgodu police and directed them to act quickly.

Mangaluru: The Congress will be swept away in a wave of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP Karnataka state president Nalin Kumar Kateel MP said on Wednesday.

Addressing reporters in Puttur, Kateel said Congress at the national level is currently not in a position to contest elections alone and is allying with diverse groups and devising new strategies to regain power.

He said the previous attempts at forming such alliances had not worked out and the new formation will encounter the same fate. Kateel said the Congress had a history of displacing governments at the Centre including that of H D Deve Gowda after supporting them for a brief period. The Congress will never allow any other party to hold power at the Centre, he alleged.

Kateel refused to comment on the reports that the Janata Dal (S) is making efforts to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Bengaluru: Registration for ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme, one of the five poll guarantees of the Congress government in Karnataka, which offers Rs 2,000 aid per month to women head of the family, began on Wednesday.

According to officials, under this scheme Rs 24,000 will be transferred into the bank accounts of about 1.28 crore women head of the family in the state every year and is said to be one of the biggest such programmes in the country.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who launched the registration for the scheme said it would come into effect from August 16.

Noting that Gruha Lakshmi will cost about Rs 35,000 crore to the state exchequer annually, he said, “if there is any security programme in the country that is more than Rs 30,000 crore show me. We have to be proud of it (Gruha Lakshmi scheme).”

“This scheme will provide Rs 2,000 per month to 1.28 crore women head of the family — this is called universal basic income in some countries,” he said. Registration for Gruha Lakshi is free of cost.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Women and Child Welfare Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, and Ministers Ramalinga Reddy, K H Muniappa, Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, were among others present at the event.

Under the scheme, women heads of families, as identified in ration cards (BPL and APL cards), will be eligible for Rs 2,000 financial aid from the government every month, as long as the women or the husbands do not fall under the tax-paying bracket.

According to officials, each ration cardholder, who is the woman head of the family, will be given an appointment to register, through an SMS on her mobile number linked to her Aadhaar card. She will have to visit the venue mentioned at the specified time to register.

In case a beneficiary is unable to visit the centres on the designated date and time, she can visit the same centre on the same day, or any other day, between 5 pm and 7 pm.

In rural areas, registration will be done in the nearest Grama One or Bapuji Seva Kendra. In urban areas, it will be the nearest Karnataka One or Bengaluru One centre.

Beneficiaries have to provide details of ration card number, Aadhaar number and bank account details.

In additional arrangement, a Praja Pratinidhi (citizen volunteer) will visit every household and register beneficiaries.

Among Congress’ five poll guarantees, the government has already implemented Shakti’ by providing free services for women in public transport buses last month, and payment of cash in lieu of the additional 5 kilograms of rice to beneficiaries under the government’s Anna Bhagya’ scheme.

While the Gruha Jyothi’ scheme to provide 200 units of free electricity to households has already come into effect from the beginning of this month, the electricity bill for the same for power consumption this month will come in the beginning of August.

‘Yuva Nidhi’ the scheme to provide Rs 3,000 every month for unemployed graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders is likely to be implemented by November or December.